The Gators lost to an FCS team for the first
time - they were 15-0 previously - since the division formed in 1978; Georgia
Southern defeated an FBS program for the first time after 20
consecutive losses.

The loss was UF's first nonconference home loss to a team
other than Florida State or Miami since losing to Memphis State in 1988.

Florida dropped to 4-7, losing for the sixth consecutive
game, the longest winless stretch for the Gators in 34 years.

The loss ensured Florida's first losing season since the
Gators finished 0-10-1 in 1979 and prevents them from becoming bowl eligible,
which will snap their 22-year bowl streak.

Georgia Southern rushed for 429 yards, the most against a
Florida team since Nebraska churned out 524 against the Gators in the 1996
Fiesta Bowl.

In a season that has spiraled downward since the Gators
got off to a 4-1 start, the postgame scene still seemed surreal for longtime
Florida observers. As the Gators trudged slowly to the locker room, the Eagles'
celebration took over the field.

Their fans in the southeast corner of Ben Hill Griffin
Stadium cheered loudly and snapped photos. The school's band played. The Eagles
made the kind of history they'll want to remember forever.

"That's a big win for us and our kids,'' Georgia
Southern coach Jeff Monken said. "Let's be honest about it. If you're
willing to take a guess here, who's going to win -- Georgia Southern or
Florida? There would probably be a lot more people who would have picked
Florida."

Monken is right, of course.

That is what makes this loss more difficult for the
Gators. Florida head coach Muschamp warned all week that Georgia Southern's
triple-option offense was a talent neutralizer.

He was right, too, as the Eagles won despite not
completing one pass - the first time that has happened against the Gators in
records back that date back to 1976.

In his postgame press conference, Muschamp faced similar
questions to when the Gators lost at home to Vanderbilt two weeks ago.

"Very disappointed for our program and an
embarrassment in this situation,'' Muschamp said. "We had our
opportunities there. The kids kept playing hard."

From there many of the same topics were covered as after
the previous five losses.

Once again, injuries played a key role.

The Gators lost starting middle linebacker Michael Taylor
to a knee injury. Fellow linebacker Alex Anzalone went down with a dislocated
shoulder. Another linebacker, Darrin Kitchens, suffered a shoulder injury but
returned. Florida was also without starting defensive end Jonathan Bullard
(knee) and Marcus Roberson (ankle) to injury.

And once again, the offense struggled.

The Gators opened the game with a 13-play, 63-yard drive
that featured mostly runs by Kelvin Taylor, who picked up 54 of his 92 yards on
the first drive of the game. Frankie Velez's 27-yard field goal gave Florida a
3-0 lead.

A Georgia Southern turnover aided Florida's second score,
a 3-yard pass from Skyler Mornhinweg to Solomon Patton. The Gators led 10-0
less than two minutes into the second quarter on a sunny day at The Swamp.

All seemed fine, but then some of the issues that have
plagued the Gators all season turned the momentum to the Eagles, who scored 20
unanswered points.

Florida tied the game up at 20 on Mornhinweg's 46-yard
touchdown pass to Patton with 5:41 left in the game, but the Gators defense, so
good early in the season, allowed a five-play, 75-yard drive that ended with
Jerick McKinnon's 14-yard touchdown run with 2:57 left.

And once again, penalties proved costly.

The Gators played penalty-free for the first 57 minutes
of the game until Keanu Neal's personal foul on the ensuing kickoff moved the
Gators back to their 36-yard line instead of starting at Georgia Southern's 49.

Still, the game came down to one final play: fourth-and-3
at Georgia Southern's 17-yard line with eight seconds left. Mornhinweg's throw
to Patton was incomplete, and the Eagles started to celebrate.

The Gators headed to the locker room to decompress.

"The thing about the Gator Nation is this is not
usually what you envision,'' Kitchens said. "But all I can say is we're
going to bounce back, and Florida is going to take care of Florida. Losing that
type of game is embarrassing, but when everybody plays as hard as they did,
everybody gave it their all, that's all you can really ask for. I'll take those
guys any day of the week."

Mornhinweg, whose best throw Saturday was on Patton's
46-yard touchdown reception finished 14 of 25 for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

He is young and inexperienced, but understood the waves
Saturday's loss would cause.

"We're just upset over the loss,'' Mornhinweg said.
"We're the Florida Gators. We should be winning every game."

(AP Photo/Gerry Broome). Texas A&amp;M's Jay Jay Chandler (0) drives against North Carolina's Luke Maye (32) during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, March 18, 2018.

T.J. Starks had 21 points and Texas A&M overpowered North Carolina inside, upsetting the reigning national champions 86-65 Sunday in the NCAA Tournament to mark the second straight year a title holder missed the...More >>

T.J. Starks had 21 points and Texas A&M overpowered North Carolina inside, upsetting the reigning national champions 86-65 Sunday in the NCAA Tournament to mark the second straight year a title holder missed the Sweet 16.More >>

(AP Photo/Denis Poroy). Clemson forward Elijah Thomas, front, celebrates a basket with forward David Skara during the first half of a second-round NCAA men's college basketball tournament game against Auburn on Sunday, March 18, 2018, in San Diego.

Gabe DeVoe scored 22 points and Elijah Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Clemson, which closed the first half with a 25-4 run that helped it beat cold-shooting Auburn 84-53 and advance to the Midwest Region...More >>

Gabe DeVoe scored 22 points and Elijah Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Clemson, which closed the first half with a 25-4 run that helped it beat cold-shooting Auburn 84-53 and advance to the Midwest Region semifinal.More >>

(AP Photo/Wade Payne). Oregon State center Marie Gulich, left, knocks the ball away Tennessee center Mercedes Russell, right, in the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 18, 2018, in Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee lost for the first time at home in women's NCAA Tournament history when Marie Gulich had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead sixth-seeded Oregon State to a 66-59 win.More >>

Tennessee lost for the first time at home in women's NCAA Tournament history when Marie Gulich had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead sixth-seeded Oregon State to a 66-59 win.More >>

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez). Tennessee guard James Daniel III (3) attempts a steal against Loyola-Chicago guard Clayton Custer (13), who maintained control of the ball during the first half of a second-round game at the NCAA men's college basketball tour...

Another NCAA Tournament pray answered for Loyola-Chicago, and the Ramblers are set to bring Sister Jean to the Sweet 16. Clayton Custer's jumper took a friendly bounce off the rim and in with 3.6 seconds left, and...More >>

Another NCAA Tournament pray answered for Loyola-Chicago, and the Ramblers are set to bring Sister Jean to the Sweet 16. Clayton Custer's jumper took a friendly bounce off the rim and in with 3.6 seconds left, and 11th-seeded Loyola beat Tennessee.More >>